Infinite UC: Newtype Advent
by Shidou Haruka
Summary: A dream perverted into a symbol of human's capacity for destruction, that is the Infinite Stratos. Many knew it as the greatest weapon ever created. Its power had even overturned the rule of society itself. But soon, humanity would learn that there is no absolute power in the world, because there will always be opposition. The Unicorns will rise once more.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: End of an Era, Beginning of an Era**

UC 1xxx, it has been a thousand years since the event known as One Year War, the Neo Zeon conflict, and the Laplace conflict. The people of Universal Century have survived through numerous conflicts and finally, their civilization flourished throughout earth and space. Humanity learned from their previous mistakes and slowly but surely have matured after centuries of warfare.

Planets in the solar system were colonized and terraformed. Space Colonies were built from Earth to the edge of Saturn, humanity is slowly but surely expanding into space, gradually leaving their cradle like a child finally learning how to walk for the first time. This is what soldiers and visionaries of the past have fought and died for. The golden age of humanity have begun…

Or at least it should be. Because if there is one thing humanity would never fail to do is to repeat their mistake despite what they have learned. But can they be blamed for this mistake when the source of their self-destruction is not even something that is from their solar system?

It all started when one machine drifted into the solar system, a machine unlike which they have ever seen before. From its looks alone, the machine is a mobile suit of some kind. But once it was investigated, humanity found that the machine dubbed as Turn X is much more advanced than any mobile weapons they have developed in the past thousand years. An unknown machine from space outclassing even the most advanced of their own machine of that time.

This fact left humanity terrified. They are terrified of the knowledge that there is a civilization out there that could make a weapon that outclassed their own. They are terrified that if this advanced civilization were to come and attack them, they would be hopeless in front of the invader's overwhelming technology.

But as they have done in the past, humanity attempted to overcome their fear. And how did they do it? By creating another advanced machine of their own based on the machine they own. And in honor to the many legendary machines that have appeared throughout history, they dubbed this new mobile suit as the Turn A Gundam.

But as history dictated, when two great powers that surpasses others exists at the same time, they will inevitably clash. Due to the existence of the Turn units, earth was divided into two factions, each one possessing one Turn units, both cannot come into an agreement on how the Turn units should be used. One side wanted to use the Turn units to go out into space and take the initiative on the offensive before they could be attacked by other civilization. The other wishes only to use the Turn units as defensive measure.

And thus began the period that would come to be known as Dark History period as the Turn X and Turn A factions battle each other. Fear and anxiety had undone a millennium of hard work in a single moment. Thus once more the people of Universal Century descend into an age of warfare once more, an age that they have left behind for centuries, all because of fear and disagreement.

And finally, after a war that is even more devastating than the One Year War and every subsequent conflict, the final battle came in the form of Turn A Gundam battling Turn X, releasing the two machines' immense power over the whole solar system. The two machines have an ability called as Moonlight Butterfly, an ability where the Turn machines release their potent nanomachines that could destroy technology. But what makes Moonlight Butterfly frightening is not simply its ability to destroy technology. What is frightening is its scale.

Turn A Gundam and Turn X released their Moonlight Butterfly over the whole solar system, destroying every technology that mankind had built over the millennia, reducing everything back to the dark ages. People who lived in space and other planets were killed by the billions from the destruction of the technologies that sustain their life outside the earth. But even after countless number of lives were lost, the two Turn machines and their pilot fought as if they were possessed.

What stopped them though is not each other's victory or defeat. It is when a forgotten piece of history revealed itself in the time when humanity's need is most dire. From the destroyed remains of space Colonies between Earth and Mars, a white and green machine emerged. From earth, a black and yellow machine rose. From the depth of space, a golden and blue machine returned.

These machines are remnants of history people in the early Universal Century wishes to forget. Or can they even be called machines when the power they wield cannot even be understood or measured? In an age where science and technology rules, machines that does not operate like machines wielding power that science cannot properly explain is not even considered technologies anymore.

Without any signs of engine running, these three identical machines clad in mysterious light that protected them from Moonlight Butterfly approach the two Turn machines. Recognizing the two Turn machines as a thing that doesn't belong in this world, the three remnants of a buried history rise up once more, carrying the hopes and dreams of humanity in their name that radiates power.

The white Unicorn, the black Banshee, and the golden Phenex. These are the names of the three Gundams that arrived on the battlefield of the two Turn units. Wielding power people had forgotten about, the three RX-0 units clashed with the Turn units. The Moonlit Butterfly clashed with the light of the Psychoframe and as everything were consumed by their battle. As a curtain of light akin to rainbow envelop the solar system, reality itself cracked.

* * *

-Anno Domini 2xxx-

Infinite Stratos, it is a machine once intended to be a powered suit for space exploration. It was supposed to be a way for humanity to fulfill their dream of venturing to space, reigniting the dream of the past that may have been forgotten. But now it has become nothing more than mere weapons used to destroy and oppress, proving humanity's capacity for conflict.

The world had changed due to the emergence of these weapons of war, especially when the first ever IS showcased its power in the event that is now known as the White Knight incident, destroying numerous missiles and advanced weaponry with never-before-seen technologies. With that performance alone, IS cemented its place as the ultimate weapon of war known to humanity.

The IS wasn't supposed to be a weapon. It was supposed to be something that leads humanity to a new frontier. But the world had twisted it into an image it wants the technology to be; that of a weapon of mass destruction. It doesn't help that the creator herself encourage it.

And worst of all it has become an excuse to oppress. Just because the IS can only be used by women, the female population had gotten it into their head that they have become better than men. It is subtle and not easily spotted in general but if one were to look closely there is subtle discrimination here and there. It is as if the gender roles have been reversed. Despite the changes, humanity is, in a sense, still the same.

It is not only that but ever since Shinonono Tabane stopped producing IS cores and went into hiding, the core is distributed throughout the world for study and development. But not everyone could fund the development of an IS. The world fell into what is essentially a state similar to a cold war where IS tournament became a sport where each countries would show off their military, a proxy war of some sort. With this setup, the world is seemingly able to maintain an uneasy peace. But…

* * *

-3 years after the White Knight incident, England-

fourteen years old Charles Dunois has always been an adventurous child. He is very active and curious even for his age. Among his hobbies is exploring places, whether it be advanced metropolitan, historical cities, natural conservation, or even plain wilderness, he is simply fascinated by the world around him.

But what eventually took his attention the most is the stars.

Charles could remember the day when he learn about the stars. He and his family; his father and mother, all three of them lying on the ground and watching the stars during a camping trip Charles had insisted on going. He was six back then and it was the first time he truly saw the stars, the constellations sparkling in the sky, and the first constellation his father taught him about is Leo, the zodiac that came in the form of a lion.

From then on, his favorite pastime activity before bed is watching the stars. He doesn't know why but he simply felt drawn to them, to the vastness of space. Which is why during primary school, he dreamt of becoming an astronaut, so that one day he can go to space and see it from beyond the earth's atmosphere. To grasp the stars with his own hands.

When the Infinite Stratos came to existence, he was very happy. A mechanical exoskeleton that can be used to explore space. With that kind of machine, he could really grasp the stars with his own hands… only for him to be disappointed when he found out that the machine can only be piloted by females. His dream was quickly crushed.

Still, he hoped that maybe one day he can make it so that even males can pilot an IS. He'll even make it come true himself. A small setback won't stop him from reaching his dream. It is quite fortunate that his uncle, Patrick Dunois, had started a company revolving around IS technology. The French government had approved his request to have an IS core for research purpose, of course, with some help from his father who is Minister of Defense.

Currently, he and his father are in England with his father attending the after party following the conclusion of the first Mondo Grosso tournament. It was quite a spectacle, seeing real IS in a fight. How fast they can fly and how powerful they are. It just made Charles more determined to study IS engineering in MIT so he can eventually work on making males able to pilot an IS. Though right now, he is still just an ordinary high school student.

He has been studying technology a lot though and since he has the best tutors money can buy as well as knowing some of the best IS engineers in France, he is well on his way to achieve his dream. It won't be easy but just like grasping the stars, anything that is worth doing is never easy.

Like surviving this party for instance.

Politicians and other high profile people are currently talking about how their country did in the tournament. There are lots of veiled insults and fake smiles thrown around. While he wanted to become an IS engineer, Charles is politically savvy enough to notice what politicians say in between the lines. It is really not a place he wanted to be in but he did ask his father that he wanted to see the tournament and Ronan did bring him to the VIP box so he can at least thank his father by enduring the whole after party.

Currently, Ronan is engaged in a conversation with a blonde British woman. Since he has nothing else to do and no one to talk to, Charles decided to walk around. He had eaten enough and he can't drink wine until he's older so right now, he has nothing else to do. He had thought about talking to the competing pilots who, surprisingly, are mostly his age, but most of them are already in groups while the others simply disappear.

"Heh, if only this could end soon."

The blonde Frenchman grumbled as he stood in a corner while leaning on the wall. Sure he's used to fancy parties but that was back in France where there are at least some other ministers who brought their children along who he can talk to but here in England, there's no one he recognize.

"Are you feeling bored?"

A voice asked him. Charles nearly jumped in surprise but managed to not make a fool of himself. He turned to his right to see a girl with long blonde hair and cyan eyes around his age. Together with her is a younger girl around eight to nine years old with shorter hair and same eye color. Charles blinked. He didn't expect to see someone his age around here who is not one of the pilots, and he knew she's not one since he remembered the face of all the pilots in the tournament.

"Well, I don't know anyone around here and the only people my age are the pilots and it's not easy trying to talk to them."

Charles said casually. The girl chuckled as she leaned on the walk right beside him.

"I know the feeling. I'm Rita Alcott by the way, and this is my sister, Cecillia."

The girl, now named Rita, introduced herself along with her sister who is look as if she wanted to run around but knew better than to cause a ruckus in such a situation. That's quite smart for an eight years old child. Since the sisters have introduced themselves, or Rita did anyway, Charles decided to return the courtesy.

"I'm Charles Dunois. It's nice to meet you, Rita."

Charles didn't know it yet but at that moment, the moment he shook Rita's hand in their first meeting, was the day his fate changed, and the day the Lion constellation shines the brightest as the black lion slowly woke up from its slumber deep underground.

* * *

**Right, so this is the new version of Infinite UC. I changed a lot of things this time like instead of being set in the future, this story is set in a whole different timeline. Kinda like how Ideon rebooted the universe in that Ideon/Gundam unofficial crossover (which is still more official than a fanfic though). I will not confirm if this displacement is of space or time though. This could be set in an entirely different universe or this can be set in the past before UC 0001 and would've let to UC timeline if not for the changes. **

**Anyway, enter Charles Dunois... again. He is still the main character destined to pilot Banshee but I changed the Dunois family tree a bit. Instead of the heir of Dunois corporation, Charles is son to the Minister of Defense while his uncle (who will obviously be Charlotte's father) is the CEO of Dunois corporation. Charles and Charlotte are cousins here instead but that's as far as I will reveal in this matter since that is the obvious stuff. Now on to the other stuff. Rita is now Rita Alcott, elder sister to Cecillia Alcott. This will have an impact on Cecillia obviously but that is for later. Now, unlike the other Gundam/IS crossover I wrote with reincarnation theme, Rita won't remember her past life, at least, not all of it if she were to ever remember anything. So far she will be the only Unicorn unit pilot who will retain her unit considering that she is likely the strongest Newtype around. That factors for something. **

**Now for pairing. In the previous version, I hinted that Charles will be paired with Tatenashi. But this time, there is a bit more gap in age between them so I'm going to need some opinion. Currently, I am open to harem and single pairing idea. The girls available for Charles are Tatenashi, Rita, Beltorchika Irma, and Chifuyu. Personally, I am leaning more towards either Tatenashi or Beltorchika. Rita will be good but there is Jona to consider. If Rita is with Charles, Jona will be paired with Michele. Chifuyu is the worst choice in my opinion since I am doing this Gundam style rather than a harem series so Chifuyu's attitude will... be met with equally heavy handed reaction. Tatenashi and Beltorchika on the other hand will be easiest to work with as I have some ideas I had wanted to work with in the previous version but never managed to use them because of consistency issue. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Led Towards Destiny**

-4 years after the White Knight incident-

It has been a year since Charles and Rita met and during that time, they became quick friends and kept in contact with each other. Despite living in different countries, they are close friends and Charles would even say that Rita is his best friend. There is no posturing between them and no political agenda in their friendship. Charles would even say that Rita is his only true friend.

That is not to say that he has no friends in France. He has a lot but most of them are children of his father's colleagues, in other words, children of politicians who are mostly planning to get into business or politics. Most of them became his friend because they're expected to and his father also told him to be friends with them to make connections. Only a few of them are his genuine friends.

He could tell. He doesn't know how but it is quite intuitive. He has always been rather perceptive. He could tell whether someone is being genuine or not by feeling. He always gets a bad feeling from those who only wanted to know him because of his father. But Rita is different. He couldn't really say how but there's just something about her that is different. Something about her resonates deeply with him. For that reason, he kept in contact with her, even called her from his side a few times; something he never does with his other friends unless he really needed to.

A year later, they are still close friends, and Rita has come to visit him for the summer alongside Cecillia and one of their friend, Chelsea Blackett; a twelve years old girl with red hair and wearing a maid outfit. Officially, she's a maid-in-training to the Alcott family. But both Cecillia and Rita consider her more as their close friend than their maid.

The teens and nine years old child are currently staying in one of the Dunois family villa in France for the summer. Actually, Rita had planned to come alone as she's old and smart enough to travel by herself but her mother told her to bring Cecillia and Chelsea with her.

Sending a particularly independent and smart fifteen years old without supervision into another country is one thing, but sending a twelve year old and nine years old with said fifteen years old without any additional supervision is really another thing. Then again, that probably says a lot about how much their mother trusts Rita.

"And your father didn't argue with her?"

"No. Father never argue against mother even when he disagrees with her. Though he should have this time. I'm glad that mother trust me enough to let Chelsea and Cecillia come with me but letting a twelve and nine year old girls travelling abroad without adult supervision is just…"

Rita sighs as she slowly drank her tea. A plate of half eaten croissant set in front of her. Currently, Charles and Rita are chatting together over afternoon tea. Mostly it's just Charles listening to Rita whining. Normally, he would only pretend to listen when his friends whine, because usually it's about inconsequential thing that he's not interested in. But what Rita is complaining about is a rather important matter and she does have a right to whine from what he heard.

"They don't use to be like this you know. I guess mother never forgave father for what happened and father felt guilty so he never said no to mother."

Rita look down to her tea with a complicated expression. She then glanced to her side to see Cecillia who is playing with Chelsea in the garden. She stared at her sister for a while until Cecillia noticed her and waved to her. Rita smiled and waved back. Once Cecillia turn to Chelsea again though, Rita's smile disappeared.

"Look at me, complaining about things you're probably not interested in. I'm sorry you have to listen to me, Charles."

She apologized but Charles shook his head. Unlike most of his friends who complain about trivial things, at least Rita complain about more realistic things. She rarely every complain anyway so the least he can do when she does is to listen to her.

"It's fine. At least you're complaining about a real problem. If there is anything I can help with though, you can just say it."

"No. This is our family's problem so we'll deal with it ourselves. I appreciate the offer though."

This time it was Rite who shook her head. Charles can understand. Family problem should be kept within the family. It's the same with his family after all. While his father and his uncle get along alright, they disagree on a lot of things. You would expect a politician and a businessman to work well together but not in their case. Usually difference in personal philosophy.

Rita even mentioning about her family's problem to an outsider like him is already saying too much, especially considering how her family is active in the British high society, but that just proves how much she trusts him. He's probably the only one she can talk to about this thing anyway.

"Well, that's enough about the depressing stuff. Let's talk about more interesting things. By the way, have I told you about this one time when Cecillia was six?"

After that, Rita began talking about more mundane things, especially about things Cecillia did when she was younger. There are lots of funny and embarrassing stories about the younger Alcott sibling. Charles never knew how it feels to have a younger sibling since he's an only child and while his uncle is married, he has no children yet so he doesn't even have a cousin. From the way Rita speaks of Cecillia though, it sounds like it will be fun to have a younger sibling.

Speaking of the little hellion though…

"It's almost lunch time. We should head back in. Let's call your sister."

Charles told her after noticing the time on his watch. Rita checked her own watch and saw that it is indeed almost time for lunch. They both got up from their chairs and look around the Garden to find the two younger children. They didn't see them though. Come to think of it, they haven't heard the sound of the children playing for a while.

"Cecillia! Chelsea!"

Rita call out, thinking that they're probably playing hide and seek. Those two likes to play that back home and they can be very quiet when they wanted to. Those two can sometimes lost track of time when they're playing and Rita had to call them. There's no reply after a minute though so Rita call them out again.

"Cecillia! Chelsea! It's time for lunch!"

There. If they were playing hide and seek, they wouldn't reply if she called them out. But if she added that it's time for lunch, that means their game is done. Rita waited… but after a minute, there's no reply or any sign of movement anywhere in the garden. Now she's starting to grow concerned.

"Uhh, Rita?"

Charles called her. When Rita turn to him, she saw her friend pointing at something. She followed his finger and saw him pointing at an open door at the edge of the garden leading to the forest behind.

That is not a good sign.

* * *

"Cecillia!" "Chelsea!"

Rita and Charles called out the children's names as they scour the woods around the villa. There's no doubt that Cecillia and Chelsea are in the forest since they found footprints on the dirt that looks like they belong to children. Charles had called for the servants to spread out in search of the children with him and Rita also joining in. The more people looking the better.

How careless of him. He should've ordered the door to be locked when he knew that children are coming. The door leading to the forest is usually kept open during the day because he himself like taking a stroll out back and he's usually the youngest person around. At least there's no dangerous wild beast around, at least to his knowledge.

"Fuh, they're not here. Where could they be? Cecillia! Chelsea!"

Charles called out again. There's no reply and he noticed Rita growing more concerned by the second. Charles felt bad. As their host, he is responsible for the safety of his guests. More than that, Rita is his closest friend. He won't be able to forgive himself if anything were to happen to Rita and Chelsea… that and of course the possible diplomatic repercussion from Britain but the former matter more to him.

The two of them continue searching, but just searching randomly won't do them any good. After about forty minutes of searching, Charles and Cecillia took a quick break.

"Where could they be?"

Rita asked no one in particular with worry obvious in her voice. Charles leaned against a tree as they rested. They've gone quite far. Hopefully they'll be able to find the children soon. They're already skipping lunch as it is.

"They can be anywhere inside the forest. Luckily, to my knowledge at least, there's nothing overly dangerous in these woods."

Charles told Rita in an attempt to give her some peace of mind. It at least alleviated her worry as she stopped pacing around and rest on another tree. While they're taking a break, Charles reach into his pocket and threw something at Rita. The girl deftly caught what Charles threw her, which is an apple.

"There are some of them around here. We've skipped lunch so that will at least keep us going."

"Thanks."

The boy took out another apple from his pocket and bit into it. It's not much but it's better than nothing. The two of them ate their apples while resting. Though Charles could actually go on for far longer, he decided to rest since Rita doesn't have as much endurance as him. Coupled with her worrying for her sister, Rita must be physically and mentally exhausted, though the girl didn't notice it but Charles did. His fellow blonde is already sweating a lot and have been shouting since they entered the woods.

"There's a stream nearby. It's clean so we can drink from it directly."

Rita nodded as she finished her apple. Charles then led his friend to the stream nearby. Like he said, the water is clean and looks safe to be drunk directly. Charles and Rita gathered some water with their hand and drank. After drinking a few times, they are finally hydrated.

"You seem used to walking in the woods."

Rita suddenly spoke.

"Huh? Well yeah, I like to go camping in the woods and watch the stars from a clearing. Modern people are out of touch with nature. Sometimes, it's great to just sit back and relax, lying down on the grass under the star and remember where we came from."

"Hnn… that does sound nice."

Rita smiled. It does sound nice and she's interested in trying that out for herself. She has never gone camping. Her family is not the type to take their children on a camping trip. Maybe she should ask Charles to take her on one. It's also good to teach Cecillia about nature before she fully grows up.

As they stood up, ready to continue their search, they felt something touch their mind. The two immediately got up and look around. There was nothing. Then more feeling assaulted their mind, this time from a certain direction. The feeling came from somewhere across the stream.

_'Look Chelsea! I found something shiny!'_

They heard a voice, the voice of a child, a very familiar voice. It didn't come through their ear but their mind, as if the voice is echoing inside their head. The two looked at each other, knowing that the other experienced the same thing. They nodded and ran across the stream. Whatever that was, they can figure it out later. For now, they must find Cecillia and Chelsea.

"Cecillia! Chelsea!"

Rita called out again as she followed Charles from behind. Being much more familiar with the surroundings, Charles sprinted ahead until he saw a small clearing where the sun shines through the tree leaves. When he arrived, he saw Cecillia and Chelsea having dug out something from the ground.

"Cecillia! Chelsea!"

The elder sister cried out in joy as she arrived and hug the two younger girls. Charles allow the girls to have their moment, more curious about what Cecillia found.

"Big sister?" "Miss Rita?!"

Cecillia and Chelsea are surprised at Rita's appearance. Meanwhile, with the emotional moment passing, Rita let go of the two girls and frowned. While she's glad that nothing happened to them, she still has to scold them for going off on their own.

"The two of you… SIT DOWN, NOW!"

Charles chuckled as Rita started scolding the little girls. But now he is more interested in what Cecillia dug up. Earlier, through that weird phenomenon, he heard Cecillia said that she dug up something shiny. To his recollection, there's no mineral deposit anywhere near here. So what did that child dug out? Or was that voice some kind of hallucination? It could be. But it really led them to where the girls are so he's not ready to dismiss it just yet.

"Hmm? What is this?"

The blonde boy muttered to himself as he found something after digging deeper on the spot Cecillia dug up. He cleared out the dirt until he saw a small piece of metal jutting out from the ground. Its appearance is more akin to a shrapnel than a piece of ore so perhaps it is a broken metal artifact buried by time?

Charles dig up some more until he could take out the shrapnel from the ground. It's not shiny as Cecillia's voice said but it is a metal. An unknown metal he couldn't identify at first glance. It's not bronze and it's nor silver or steel. It is something else, but he doesn't know what.

Then the metal suddenly glow. He then winced as he felt something in his head. He couldn't really describe what it is but it is like someone is touching his mind, however that works. He didn't saw it but Rita also felt the same thing and stopped her impromptu lecture.

"Charles?"

Rita called him, noticing that he had winced like her. Just as the feeling recedes though, the ground began to rumble. With his head still pounding, Charles lost balance and fell on his behind. Rita shoved aside Cecillia and Chelsea and rushed to her friend's side to help him.

"You two, stay away! Charles!"

Just as Rita reached Charles, the ground below them gave out, creating a large hole causing them to fall. Time seemed to stop for a moment as Rita looked back to the screaming Cecillia and Chelsea. On the bright side, the earthquake had stopped and those two are still safe.

Rita and Charles fell down the hole. Rita didn't dare look down but Charles did and he saw that it's a long fall. He got closer to Rita and pulled her to his chest protectively. If they're lucky, there might be something that would cushion their fall below and they can survive. If not, well, at least Rita would have a bigger chance to survive if he cushion her fall.

After falling for around ten to fifteen seconds, they heard the sound of wildly running water. An underground river is beneath them. That's good news, provided they don't crash into a stalagmite or the river is too shallow. Charles braced for impact, holding Rita tightly in his arms. They crashed into the water.

The strong water current carried them through a series of winding tunnels going down. With no shore in sight and the current being too powerful to swim against, the two leave their fate to the current as it carried them through many tunnels, making the turn for them when they meet any forks. Minutes have passed but there's no end in sight. Though the tunnels does get bigger the further they go.

But it seems that their luck is at an end when they heard the sound of falling water up ahead, a sound Charles is quite familiar with after visiting several waterfalls. This is it. They either survive or die here. And like he had thought, there is a waterfall up ahead and they fell down into god-knows-where. The two blondes prayed in their heart for someone or something to save them. The two of them then closed their eyes, waiting for whatever impact that would eventually come.

But none came. In fact, they felt like they are slowing down until finally, they gently fell into a body of water with the same impact of someone slipping by a poolside and falling into the water.

It seems like they will live.

"Well, it seems like we'll live… for now."

Charles commented. Rita nodded as they finally let go of each other and swam to the shore. Fortunately, there is a shore they can swim to, wherever this is. That was the most adrenaline-pumping moment they had ever experienced in their life. Once they got to the shore, they look around. A large cavern extends in front of them filled with light coming from the walls. Seeing that there's no other way, the two of them proceeds deeper into the cavern.

"Wow. There's something like this underneath the mountain?"

Rita look around in wonder. She had never gone spelunking before and while the circumstances is certainly not ideal, it's better to think of it as spelunking than panicking. Not to say that she's not worried, because she is, and there is the feeling of fear in her, but panicking won't help. Besides, there's something in her telling her that everything will be alright. Then she felt Charles gripping her hand tightly as he led her through the cavern. Yes, everything will be fine.

"I never heard of a place like this. Then again, we did fell quite far down. I hope there's a way out of here."

Rita shares that sentiment. As they went in deeper, the light became brighter and brighter and a strange feeling starts to overcome them. A feeling of peace and welcome. Charles felt it and Rita felt it too. Out of curiosity, Charles dug out one of the sources of light from the cavern wall. He was surprised to see that it is a piece of the same metal he found earlier. That would mean that all of these lights that illuminate their path came from the same metal. The two of them proceed until they found the end of the tunnel which leads upward.

What they found next surprised them.

After following an uphill path the lights showed them, they found something they could never possibly imagine. Pieces of machines lying all over the place. Some of them are ordinary machine parts though neither could tell what kind of machine they are, others are parts that glows the same light as the light that led them all the way here in the first place.

But what surprised them the most is when they found the machine's head, staring at them from the same height. A large black helmeted head with broken v-shaped antenna and human-like faceplate. The size of the head itself is huge and awe inspiring despite the state it is in. Under the head is pieces of broken robotic body of immense size. They have never seen something like this before.

"Wow."

Rita said out loud. There's nothing else she could think of saying because she's awed by the sight in front of her. She had seen an IS before. She had even tried one out before but while an IS is impressive, the machine in front of them, broken as it is, have a presence that makes it seems so much more than an IS. How a machine can even have a presence is a mystery to her.

"This is… Rita, come on! We might be able to find something that can help us get out!"

Charles told her as he slides down the slope leading to the large machine. A giant robot. It is certainly a boy's romance and as someone who plan to study engineering, his interests is most definitely piqued, but they have priorities and that is to get out of here. Still, it might be good to have a look around. Who knows what they can find in the machine that can help them get out. It's certainly not just because Charles wanted to touch it at least once before they go their own way.

Once they reached the base of the slope, Charles ran towards the machine with Rita following close behind. The two of them got closer to the machine until they're finally at its waist. Carefully, Charles reached out to the black machine. When he touched it though, light immediately engulfed him and Rita… and then he saw it. A blonde man wearing a black suit on a seat that looks like a cockpit. The man then cried out something, a name.

_"Banshee!"_

* * *

**Well, there's much more modification on how Charles found Banshee. For one thing, he's with Rita and both their Newtype ability is awakening. There will be more modification on the next chapter. Ohh and I should probably mention this too. I changed a lot and added details on the Alcott family. I didn't just simply add Rita but the whole story behind the Alcott family is changed because frankly, the canon setting is very lacking. Besides, this is Gundam. I'm not going to do an easily forgotten harem style family setting. The Alcott family story will be expanded and I have hinted something about them in this chapter. It will be a tragedy and it will haunt Rita and Cecillia throughout the story unlike in IS canon where I honestly forgot what Cecillia's background story is after the first volume. **

**Next we will also have the Dunois family. As should be quite obvious by now, the Dunois family and Charles himself is based on materials from several prominent families in the UC timeline. The Dunois family fun will begin soon enough. The Charles and Rita-centric chapters will continue for a bit more but after that, after the Banshee awakening incident to be precise, we will finally see Ichika, Kanzashi, and Tatenashi. It will be around the time when they're properly teenagers. And following that, Michelle and Jona will likely make their appearance, finally. Though on that subject... it's probably safe to eliminate Chifuyu, Maya, and Beltorchika from Charles' pairing list so it now goes down to Rita and Tatenashi. Personally, I am going for Rita but I also like Tatenashi and I plan to let both options open for a long time. By the way, apart from Jona, there will be one other prominent male character in this story, and I'm not using Dan this time like in Demons of the Sky. He is also a Gundam main character but not part of the UC timeline. This character will be close to Cecillia and Charlotte. **

**GBF93: We'll see soon. After all, Cecillia is not alone and we see that Rita does care about her a lot. As for Charles x Tatenashi, I did hint on that one before but ultimately, it can go either way and the current setting is in favor of Rita. As for IS in Gundamverse, well, I have some ideas but it doesn't sound appealing to me. **

**bahrithariq: that's 2 votes for Rita and 2 votes for Tatenashi. **

**AGundamFan: Yes, Charles as a character actually have a lot of potentials, especially in relation to Charlotte herself and Ichika. It also saves time from making an OC with a whole new background as fitting Charles' background with Charlotte's shouldn't be very hard. Unless you need an OC with very specific setting, Charles can be used for a lot of things. And there's another vote for Tatenashi. I'll try to at least consider it. Tatenashi is also very important to Charles' side of the story. Who knows, maybe the plot with Tatenashi is interesting enough to make me pick her instead of Rita. though definitely no Cecillia. Charles sees Cecillia as a sister and the age difference and maturity level difference makes that pairing a big no for me. As for the appearance of the other Unicorn units, well, they are all damaged right now. But just wait. Their awakening will be epic, I will make sure of that. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Next Step**

-4 days later-

Charles look up to the looming form of Banshee.

After the incident, they were fortunate to find a path that took them up and closer to the hole where they fell into and after waiting for a while, help came when one of the butlers in the villa came down with a rope to check up what's down below. Cecillia and Chelsea who panicked was found quickly by the search team looking for them in the first place and when the two girls explained what happened, the staff immediately went back to the villa to get some equipment.

It's quite fortunate that they found a path and the incident didn't get any bigger. A minister's son and a visiting foreign philanthropist's daughter getting into a potentially fatal incident would make quite a press coverage. No, even if it was kept under wrap, if a rescue team was called, things won't end well. After all, if a search team was sent, they would very likely explore the cavern and discover Banshee.

Yes, the Banshee. The broken machine's name. Charles is quite sure that it is the machine's name. That voice he heard, that brief vision he had, the man in that vision called out that name and he felt that the man is referring to this machine specifically.

"I've finished mapping the fifth route, Charles. Since you're here, that means you've finished mapping the fourth route."

Rita's voice addressed him from behind. Charles turned around. There was Rita who had just arrived walking towards him. After the incident, Charles put up a rope ladder that goes down to the cavern and began mapping the cavern system bit by bit, primarily the routes that leads to Banshee. He made up an excuse of going spelunking to the staff and the only one he brought with him is Rita.

"Yeah, I have. Thanks for helping me with this, Rita."

Charles thanked his friend who had just returned. He gave her a bottle of water since she must be tired after all the work. Charles felt bad for dragging her along but Rita said that she enjoyed the adventure. It's not a lie. She does enjoy the exploration and going spelunking with Charles is fun. She could never do it with her family so this is also an opportunity for her to enjoy something she otherwise never could.

Rita thanked Charles as she took the bottle he offered. She drunk it down in one gulp, feeling refreshed after some exploration. The fifth route was not dangerous or difficult to traverse and Charles had taught her a lot in the past few days so it felt satisfying when she's finally able to explore by herself. Of course, she wouldn't dare try the harder route without Charles' help but it was fun.

The both of them then stared at the machine in front of them. In Rita's eyes, even if broken, the machine still looks like an impressive piece of technology, and she is sure that Charles is of the same opinion.

"Amazing isn't it? That something like this is lying down here without anyone knowing. What is it? How did it get here? Why is it here? There are so many questions that I want to ask."

Charles suddenly spoke. Those are good questions. Looking up at the machine, Rita herself wonder those things. What is it? How did it get here? Why is it here? Those are the main questions she asked herself and the answers she came up with range from military conspiracy to alien visits. The easiest way to get the correct answer though, would be to study the machine. But there is a problem with that idea.

"And the problem with trying to answer all those questions is studying this machine without anyone finding out."

Rita said. Charles nodded as he continued to stare at the machine. He then sighs. Studying this machine without anyone finding out. That is the problem.

They could just simply tell people about this discovery and both of them are sure that someone, or even some governments, will help them study this machine. But both Rita and Charles are not naïve children. Young they might be, but Charles has extensive knowledge about politics and the people playing it while Rita knew a lot about corporate plays. Exploiting trust and opportunities are their daily bread, which means they have to be careful with how they deal with this machine.

The Infinite Stratos is a prime example of problematic technology being marketed in a way that cause problem to society while others profit from it. Charles doesn't know what weed Shinonono Tabane was smoking when she made IS able to be piloted by women only but it simply poured gasoline into the flame of the radical feminist movement which caused quite a bit of chaos in the political venue.

That's actually where the idea of female superiority came from, spread by social movements using Infinite Stratos as their rallying banner. Seriously, those social movements would jump at anything that would fuel their self-serving argument and with how bombastic the introduction of Infinite Stratos was, it turned their small flicker into an inferno. Though to be honest, there's not much real change in society. While the idea about female superiority exists, only a small group of people actually buy into that idea. The reality is that the power of Infinite Stratos still lies in the government and military, not normal people.

No, the real problem came from the military and political impact of the technology. The demonstration that Infinite Stratos can make Nuclear obsolete during the White Knight incident opened a whole new can of worms. So far, nuclear weapons had become a deterrent force throughout the world. With a threat of nuclear apocalypse, even the most trigger-happy person won't openly resort to causing large scale war unless it is the absolute last choice. Lesser developed country that possess no nuclear weapons will also be less willing to pick a fight when bigger countries could aim an apocalyptic weapon on their head at a moment's notice.

But Infinite Stratos broke that carefully built balance that had existed since the Cold War. By making the primary deterrent weapon obsolete, what value does nuclear weapons have now? Not to mention that the creator of this new super weapon is not a singular government but only one girl who was not even an adult at that time. And she went missing, unable to be tracked by government agents from all over the world when they went to apprehend her. She even cut ties with all people that knew her, assaulting her mentor and friends when she made her escape, or so Charles heard.

With the emergence of a new super weapon, the balance was broken and a new arms race began after the remaining Infinite Stratos Core released by Shinonono Tabane was distributed throughout the world. It is the Cold War all over again as the fear of nuclear apocalypse ceased with a new, more powerful, efficient, and controllable super weapon in the field. Countries now stand in equal term in terms of military power with Infinite Stratos at the forefront and equal power means someone bold enough would be willing to start a war. And thus another arms race started.

So far, a semblance of balance has been restored with the establishment of Mondo Grosso Tournament as a kind of war game to supplement real war. And hopefully this will be enough to keep up the peace for a long time. But Charles and Rita knew that if someone has something that can stir the hornet's nest, they likely would try just because they can. Hence why he and Rita are reluctant to tell anyone else about their discovery.

While he's not sure that the technology inside Banshee could challenge Infinite Stratos or even surpass it, not without further studying, he does know that this is still a big thing. Big enough to disturb the balance they have achieved so far and would provide a base for a new arms race if handled poorly. That is why he is stuck here just staring at the broken Banshee instead of doing something more.

"Charles, don't you have an uncle who leads a company in producing IS?"

Rita suddenly said. Charles blinked and turned to her. Why is she mentioning his uncle right now?

"I have. What of it? This is not an IS you know."

Charles pointed out.

"No, but you could ask your uncle for help in establishing a lab here and get some people to work on it."

That… is a good idea. Charles actually consider this suggestion for a moment. It is a worthwile idea. Even if he is a consummate businessman, his uncle is family and that means he could at least trust him to listen to his suggestions and by keeping it between their family and known associates, it became easier to keep things under wrap. He could persuade his uncle to help them study Banshee by promising him new technology, which he knew for sure they will get just with minimal study.

"That is a good idea! Yeah, we can do that. It will be easier to keep this a secret if we keep this between family and close associates. You should probably talk with your parents too. It will be easier to keep the resources we will allocate to this project if we split it between two companies. What do you think? We can share the technology we find between us for now but when the time is right, we can release the technology we find in Banshee to the world. We'll still have to be careful but this is a start."

Charles stood up and smiled. They're finally getting somewhere. When they get back, Charles decided that he will show his father first and together, they will bring his uncle into this. Rita can talk about this with her parents when she gets back to England.

Seeing her friend looking so excited made Rita smile. She then turned her attention back to the black machine. A giant robot. Living in an age where something like IS became a reality is already a lot like living in a sci-fi flick but now to find a giant robot too? Life can really be stranger than fiction.

As she stared into the dim eyes of the black machine though, she began to feel strange. She felt as if her soul is beginning to be drawn to it. As she continue to stare, she didn't notice that parts of the machine began to glow in yellow color as she entered a sort of a trance. Charles though noticed it and stare in awe at the machine.

"What the…"

As his eyes locked on to the machine, he also entered a trance-like state. Images began flooding their mind. They saw the black machine, Banshee, in its complete form holding a large rifle with a large shield on its left hand clashing against a fully armed counterpart of itself, a pure white machine with a single horn protruding out of its head, like a unicorn. Then a disembodied voice was heard speaking to them. A voice Charles had only heard once before.

_'Find the Unicorn!'_

Then an image of Japan entered their mind before the whole thing ended. Banshee's glow receded and their trance-like state ended. Charles blinked and look at Rita with confusion

"What was that?"

Rita has no answer to that. The two of them look back at the unmoving machine. Yes, studying it will be very important. Because now there is more to this machine than just technology.

* * *

-3 days later, Paris, the Eiffel Tower-

When visiting Paris, one must not miss going to the Eiffel tower. That's why after they're finished with their business in the city, Charles took Rita, Cecillia, and Chelsea to see the view from the tower, especially considering that they're flying back to England in the evening.

Just like Rita suggested, Charles brought Banshee to his father's attention. He explained how they found it and why he had waited a few days to tell him. Being a Minister in the French cabinet, Ronan understood why his son was reluctant to tell anyone about their discovery. He agreed with Charles' reason and the need for secrecy and agreed to speak with his brother on Charles' behalf.

That's why they're in Paris right now. On top of taking the Alcott sisters and their maid to the airport, Ronan took the opportunity to speak with his brother about Charles and Rita's project. He believed that it won't take a lot of convincing for his brother to help them if he mention the profits that could come from supporting their project.

And since Ronan himself will be doing the negotiation, he told Charles to take the Alcott sisters and Chelsea on a last tour around Paris before they need to take them to Charles de Gaulle airport. Trusting his father to speak with his uncle, Charles agreed and that's how they ended up on the Eiffel tower.

"Uwa! So high! Look Chelsea, the people below look as small as ants!"

An excited Cecillia point down from the tower's observation deck. Seeing the little girl so excited made him glad that he had chosen the tower instead of the Louvre museum. He nearly picked the museum and while it is also a famous tourist spot, a child like Cecillia would better appreciate the sights from the top of the Eiffel tower than paintings she probably won't be able to understand. He would know. His father took him to the Louvre when he was a child. It was boring back then.

"Wait, miss Cecillia, don't run around too much!"

Chelsea ran after Cecillia who is excitedly running around the observation deck to enjoy the view. Thankfully, there are tall fences put up around the observation deck so they don't have to worry about Cecillia jumping over the edge or falling over. Still, it is better to keep an eye on the little girl… which is what Chelsea is for, mostly.

"Cecillia, don't run around too much!"

Rita warned. There are not many people on the observation deck right now so it's easier to keep an eye on Cecillia which is why Rita let her sister run free as long as she stay in sight, which Chelsea will make sure of.

"Okay big sister! Chelsea, come on!"

Cecillia dragged Chelsea with her. The two teens left behind chuckled and followed the two younger children slowly from behind. Rita casually admire the view of Paris from high up as they walk while Charles, who had been here many times before, accompany her.

"Thanks for having us over, Charles. It has been a fun holiday."

Rita suddenly spoke to him, thanking him. Charles smiled at his friend.

"Anytime. Though I don't think it's been a real holiday for you. I did drag you into a cave for most of it."

Charles pointed out. The female blonde chuckled. True, Charles had dragged her with him to map the underground cavern, but that's also part of the fun.

"I enjoyed that too. I would've never been able to do that if was with mother and father. Too dangerous they would say."

"Ehehe, I'm glad you enjoyed it. But still, we could've done other things. And I did occupy much of your time with the Banshee matter."

Charles said a bit apologetically. Rita shrugs.

"I don't mind. Besides, this vacation is more for Cecillia and Chelsea than me."

As she said that, Cecillia ran past them with Chelsea behind her, going at the other direction. Since they're mostly just keeping an eye on Cecillia, Charles and Rita turn around so they won't lose sight of the two children. As they walk, Charles asked Rita a question.

"So, how do you plan to ask your parents about our project?"

Rita took some time to think.

"I'll mention the matter about that… Banshee? I'll mention it to my parents once I got the opportunity. It should be less than a week but a decision might take more time."

Charles nodded in acknowledgement. He figured convincing Rita's parents will be a bit more difficult, mostly because it will be harder to convince them without showing them Banshee which had helped him when he spoke with Ronan.

"If they need to see _it _then you can call me. My father can arrange a flight for them."

Rita nodded and keep the offer in mind. The offer is less about paying for the plane ticket, which is not much compared to the wealth of the Alcott family, and more about arranging a discreet transportation for them. Depending on the situation, Rita will take up that offer.

"There's also something else I should mention. I'm thinking about attending ISA."

Rita suddenly told him. Charles paused and slowly turn to his friend. ISA, short for Infinite Stratos Academy, is a school made to teach everything about IS to students from all around the world. It is partially a military academy and partially robotic engineering academy from what he heard. Officially, it was built to encourage cooperation and sharing of the IS tech in order to 'give chance for developing countries to obtain the same level of advancement as developed countries.' But that's mostly on paper of course. While the place has good education and reputation as a school, its whole idea is a joke. But that's not important right now.

"You're joining ISA? That's… quite sudden. You didn't show any interest in IS before so why now?"

Charles inquired. To his knowledge, Rita never had any interest in IS, or fighting, or engineering which would usually be the primary reason for someone to attend ISA. Though there are better places to learn engineering so even if she develops an interest in it, why ISA? He is certain that she had not develop an interest in fighting since she's pacifistic by nature so why?

"I thought it would help. I want to learn robotic engineering there and while it might be different with the Banshee but maybe we can find a way to combine the technology we find in Banshee with IS tech."

That… is certainly an idea. But is that really her full reason? So Charles argued with her.

"You can study it elsewhere you know, somewhere closer to home."

The boy pointed out. He can think of a few schools closer to home that would help her better if she want to study IS tech or just plain robotic engineering early. Or even get a private tutor for her. But Rita shook her head.

"No, that would beat the main point of me going there. Did you forget where ISA is located?"

Of course he didn't. While he has no interest in ISA considering he's a male and ISA is an all girl school, it is a place with political interest so he would at least know the basics about it and its location is of course included in that knowledge. Infinite Stratos Academy is located in Ja-

"It's in Japan. I see, this is less about learning IS tech and more about what we saw back then."

Rita nodded. Charles finally understand where she's going with this idea.

"That voice mentioned something about Unicorn and the last image we saw is of Japan. I'm willing to bet that Unicorn is somewhere in Japan."

And attending ISA will give her a reason to go to Japan. Charles could see what's on her mind now. Rita is acting based on the vision they received from Banshee, or whatever it is inside Banshee.

"You are acting based on that vision we got. But are you sure that we can trust it? We don't even know what it is and whether it's real or not."

Charles argued again. Rita thought for a moment. Rationalizing this one is a bit more difficult so she tried to find the correct words to explain it to Charles.

"I don't know how to explain this properly but… I have a feeling that it is real."

Charles still look skeptical but otherwise stopped his argument. While there's no proof that their vision is true, there's also no proof that it's not real either. Besides… he had been calling the black machine as 'Banshee' because he heard it from a vision and he had not really put up much of an argument with Rita so perhaps he had already considered that vision as real and only his rational mind had not.

Living in an age of advanced technology, trusting in ambiguous visions is not a part of their lifestyle. Such things belong in the past where superstitions guide people's life when they have nothing else to guide them. So following something as unscientific as a 'vision' feels wrong for him. But even so, a part of him want to follow it because he believed it. So Charles laughed.

"Ahahaha! Well, if you believe it then you should follow it. If that's what you think is right then I won't stop you. Do what you think you need to do, Rita, and I will support you all the way."

"Charles."

The boy patted her on the head. Rita felt touched by his words filled with sincerity and nodded. She then hugged him, which surprised Charles, but it also made him smile. After a moment, she let him go and they continue their sightseeing tour.

* * *

**Finally got this done. To be honest, I want to take things slow with the Newtype stuff and the appearance of the Unicorn units but I'm under some time constraint, in story that is, that I need to pull out some Newtype stuff in order to move the plot a bit further. Rita going to ISA was not in my original plan but I decided to pull this off to make things a bit smoother in the future. Also, I am changing ISA's structure itself to conform to a more... Gundam-like standard. Next chapter will be another timeskip where Rita will enroll in ISA. Her side of the story won't focus on her time in ISA though because her main reason for being in Japan is to find RX-0 unit 1, the Unicorn Gundam. Though please don't ask about RX-0 unit 3. The Phenex will not appear for a long time and there are reasons for that, reasons tied with Rita, Michelle, and Jona. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Rita's Arrival**

-1 year later-

As the plane she's in flew down, Rita Alcott caught sight of the reason she's in Japan and the place she'll be spending most of her time in for the coming years. Offshore from Tokyo stood the Infinite Stratos Academy, the first and currently only Academy specializing in the training and study of Infinite Stratos. As she looked at the structure that she only caught a glimpse of, Rita can't help but think about what she knew of it.

The history of ISA is an interesting one. It was actually the site of a failed real estate development project some years back that was left to rot because of some incidents during the construction… except, unknown to anyone at the time, Shinonono Tabane had somehow built a lab under the manmade island and it was where she developed and finished the Infinite Stratos.

It was from that secret research facility underneath the island that the White Knight from the White Knight incident sortied and after IS was revealed to the world and the island was marked as the sortie point, a team of JSDF soldiers stormed the place and found a whole maze of corridors and research facilities underneath the ruined buildings on the island.

After the official release and distribution of the IS cores throughout the world which caused chaos throughout the world, other countries, all of the UN member nations really, demanded that they be let entry into the research facility to conduct a joint investigation due to the extreme nature of the White Knight incident and the following advent of the IS. Pressured by pretty much every international governments, the joint investigation team was allowed entry into Japan's sovereign territory.

The underground research facility is a treasure trove of advanced technology that Tabane made and left behind when she abandoned the place after the White Knight incident. Even now, investigation is still being carried out regularly in the underground facility as the place itself is vast and there are sections still left unexplored due to the various protections that Tabane made.

The events leading to the creation of ISA is quite complicated. Due to the immediate availability of research equipment Tabane left behind as well as every country wanting a hand in whatever else that was left behind, Japan was pressured to allow further deployment of researchers and military personnel by foreign powers. But that was where Japan drew the line.

When that demand was made, Japan then immediately point out that the world governments not only disregard the facts that their nation had been targeted by thousands of ICBM from multiple countries, they also disregard the fact that they have also violated Japan's sovereignty by sending in fleets of ships and planes to attack the White Knight without giving them much prior warning.

The Japanese governments allowed the matter to slide due to the extreme nature of the case but they will not be bullied into submission. They will not allow more personnel than what was initially agreed to help in the investigation to enter their country, especially military personnel.

Someone then pointed out that this was the Japanese's responsibility and that they cannot be trusted to handle the matter because Shinonono Tabane was one of their own. That statement was then followed by the Japanese stating that Shinonono Tabane also has ties to America, being a known associate of a professor in MIT who taught her about robotics and engineering, a skill which was reflected in the creation of IS, and that makes America just as responsible as them.

Finally, a compromise was reached. A facility will be built on the island that will be directly under the jurisdiction of the UN completely and must be unaffiliated to any specific country. Any findings must be compiled and brought to the UN security council without fail. Everything done on the island will be used for the benefit of the world. And so came the proposal for the creation of ISA.

The idea of making it into an Academy was actually a spur-of-the-moment thought that was actually the least serious thing considered during that day's assembly. As the investigation will likely take a long time to be carried out and then there is also the matter of learning, understanding, and developing this new technology, an Academy was proposed where specialists can be taught and trained who will then continue to bring that knowledge home or join the people underground to discover Tabane's secrets. Thus the first draft of ISA was made, an escalator school from highschool to college focusing on technology, robotics in particular

Following the first draft, the matter of security was also brought up as well as the regulation of the new super weapon. Unlike a straightforward nuclear warhead blast, an IS can cause massive destruction in various ways and the fact that they look like some mecha out of a sci fi series made more people unsettled. And thus the militaristic branch of ISA was created.

The military branch of the ISA was created for three purposes; One is to serve as guards for the research facility, two is to show that the usage of IS is being regulated, and last is to have the public know what IS are capable of, and letting the public know what the new super weapon can do and let them know that all countries all around the world have access to this same weapon would calm them down than having them worry about an unknown weapon running around. That was also where the idea of Mondo Grosso tournament came from. Making IS battle a sport would calm the public down. Of course, each country will continue to develop their own specialized IS in the background that was not revealed to the public which would serve as their trump card but that was another matter entirely.

And thus ISA was born.

Of course, not much of this knowledge is known to the public and Rita only knew due to her connections. The public only knew bits and pieces of it and that's only the general idea.

Enrollment into the school was strict. For the military section, a recommendation was needed on top of having an official military rank in order to be accepted. Someone without any military background, even of a simple cadet, will not be accepted into the military section. Rumors has it that military background doesn't really matter as long as you have a recommendation though but Rita did not pay it much attention because she didn't join the military section of ISA.

The other section of ISA works much more like a proper academy though. But entry is still extremely strict where only smart and dedicated students are allowed entry. Entering the high school division involves passing a difficult entrance exam focusing heavily on science and mathematics and only those who could score high are admitted. Entering ISA from high school though is much easier than entering ISA for college. The exam is much more difficult, so notoriously difficult that it was said that getting a doctorate degree is easier than passing the entrance exam.

While some of the difficulty might be exaggerated, there is some truth in that statement. That is because there's a lot of specialized knowledge taught in the high school division that was used to build a base around which they will then work on during college years. It is why everyone who wanted to work on IS engineering all started from High School instead of college. It is just that difficult without proper base. Though that might begin to change once IS tech or other tech derived from it started becoming more mainstream. In fact, this year's number of new students is much greater than the previous years.

As the plane lands, Rita ended her thought concerning the ISA and prepare to exit the plane. She has to remember. She has another reason to be in Japan other than attending ISA.

* * *

"I see. So you can start working on it soon. Well that's good news. I'm surprised the whole facility can be built this fast but I suppose technology have advanced faster in the last few years thanks to the trickle-down effect from the advancing IS technology."

Rita Alcott spoke to her phone as she walked out of the airport. It has been one year since then and as she had told Charles, she had enrolled into ISA so she can come to Japan. In fact, she's currently speaking with her friend, mostly to inform him that she had arrived.

Ever since they found Banshee, they have kept regular contact with each other, coordinating together. After she went home to UK, Rita had told her mother about the Banshee and sold the idea to her with promise of technological advancement coming from an unknown machine that could be alien.

Of course, her mother didn't buy the idea immediately and wanted to see what Rita was speaking of with her own eyes. So a discreet business visit was planned where Charles took her to see the Banshee and by seeing the Banshee with her own eyes and hearing Charles' sales pitch, her mother, and the Alcott conglomerate by extension, agreed to help finance the research with some of their own people working there. It was supposed to be a joint project after all and while Rita trust Charles explicitly to not swindle them or pull a fast one, her mother does not.

And after months of hard work, the research facility, or at least the basic form of it, was done. Truthfully, there had been times where they are worried that they would be found out, but having someone high up in the French parliament as one of your main backer helps a lot when you want something built in secret… and wasn't that an interesting thought? A sixteen years old having to worry about conducting an illegal research. That was not something someone her age should've been worrying about. But it is and she's already too deep in the whole thing to back out now. Sometimes she feels like she's older than she actually is.

Seriously, while Rita understands the whole idea behind the secrecy, a part of her still feels that this is wrong. But another part of her felt that… this is necessary. Whether that was the cynical part of her speaking after learning a lot about the business and political world or a part of her that simply… feels that this is right is up for debate. And wasn't that an unusual thing to consider? But she has to, especially when the primary reason why she's here is all based on what amounts to 'a feeling'.

Something about the Banshee is drawing them in. Charles noticed it too but he's more focused on the Banshee as a machine, a technological marvel. That's why he left him to handle that part and go off chasing after the other aspect of Banshee that made her believe that it's an alien machine; the visions. But that can be left for later after she had settled down in Japan.

_'True. Advancement in robotics thanks to IS tech had helped us built much of the facility in a shorter time. Though it's mostly about setting up the walls and corridors and bringing in the larger equipment. We're still in the process of assembling them so what we have now is only a basic workshop. Might need a few more months to be perfectly ready.'_

Came Charles' reply from the other side of the phone. Still, it was a big facility so having progressed as much in the building process is already impressive. She had seen it a few months ago while it was under construction but the progress they made back then was already impressive with most of the living accommodations, electricity, and plumbing finished. Well with the small underground river running through some corridors, getting water source is not that hard.

"I'll come for a visit during… summer vacation, hopefully. Anyway, I'm about to get a cab to Tokyo so I'll talk to you later."

_'Okay. Keep yourself safe and please don't do anything too dangerous. We're not even sure if 'THAT' is really there.'_

"I'll try. And trust me, it's here. I don't know how to explain it but I'm sure of it. And even if it is not, then I still get something out of this trip. A diploma from ISA does open a lot of doors."

_'True. Then I'll talk to you. Bye.'_

"Goodbye."

Having said their goodbyes to each other, Rita ended her call. Charles can be such a worrywart sometimes. But that just shows that he cares. Besides, while everything had been going smoothly, it is true that what they are doing is dangerous, especially if they managed to catch the attention of the more dangerous elements of society, the underground, or heavens forbid, the government themselves.

Taking a deep breath to herself to calm down from her rather unwanted train of thought, Rita pulled her luggage to where the taxi queue is. She didn't bring much with her, just a suitcase that contains all the necessities she immediately needs. The rest of her things will be delivered to ISA in the next few days. She decided to come to Japan early to familiarize herself with the country as well as taking in the sight.

Sometimes, she herself finds it odd that she is comfortable with travelling light like this. Girls her age usually pack a lot of things that will need more than a suitcase to fit in. But not her. For her, she only packed the essentials. She didn't even pack any makeup kit. Not that she uses them in the first place. She didn't really think much about it before but after thinking about those visions, she started to wonder about these little things from time to time.

Once she got herself a taxi, she told the driver to take her to a hotel in Tokyo. The taxi ride proceeds mostly in silence as she reviewed her Japanese. When she decided to enroll in ISA, she took time to study Japanese a bit and while she's quite good in speaking the language, the writing part is still iffy, though she had learned that most of the lessons conducted in ISA are done using English for convenience as ISA takes students from all around the world.

After about an hour ride -she didn't bother keeping track of the time- Rita arrived in front of the hotel she'll be staying for three days until she has to go to ISA. She checked in to her room and fell face first onto the bed. She's feeling a bit tired from the plane ride and really wanted to sleep but at the same time, it's still too early to fall asleep. Jet Lag will be a problem for the next few days. She never experienced it since UK and France doesn't have that much of a time difference and France is the only country she frequents. Japan though is on the other side of the world and the time difference is much greater.

After staying in bed for a few minutes, Rita got up and began to unpack. There's not much to unpack though, mostly toiletries and other perishables and in about ten minutes, she's done. With the unpacking done, Rita left her room to explore Tokyo. She didn't bother to call another taxi this time and decided to walk and familiarize herself with the roads and later on, the Tokyo train system, which is as infamous as London Underground.

As she walked out of the hotel, she passed by a girl around her own age with shoulder length dark hair and indigo eyes. Their eyes did not met but as Rita passed her, the dark haired girl turn around and blinked. The dark haired girl stared at the crowd Rita disappeared into for a moment, tilting her head.

"Miss Michele, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing."

A well-dressed bespectacled gray haired man called out to the dark haired girl. She shook her head and turn back to the man as they walk together into the hotel. He is talking to her about something but Michele did not pay much attention to whatever it is he's saying.

'That girl… have I seen her before?'

* * *

**So Rita finally arrive in Japan. Well, most of this chapter is just info dumping, particularly about the details of this world. In this version, I want to make ISA a serious academic and partially militaristic institution. Which is why I rewrite the history of ISA to include its origin, why it is located there, and how it works. In canon, ISA doesn't seem to have much standard and its status as an elite international academy is not seen much since so far, only representative and representative candidates have been shown to be foreigners while the rest of the school are japanese. The political workings behind ISA is also expanded a bit to show that it is a much more serious business here and not just a venue for a harem. What got me facepalming about ISA is the fact that it allows civillians to ride what is supposed to be advanced military hardware and that is just honestly a bad idea... unless all students in ISA are officially military personnel. So this time, I divided ISA into two sections; military and academic, and both have very strict requirements in order to be accepted. For the military section where IS combat will be taught, the students enrolled there must be official military personnel with authorization from their home country. The academic section is not as strict but the entrance exam will be difficult. There will be other differences made more obvious in the future but I want to make it clear. ISA here is serious business with very strict requirements to enroll and is funded and watched over by the UN themselves. This place is not a breeding ground for a harem and I aim to incorporate ideas from Anaheim Electrunics Industrial College and Ecole Du Ciel. **

**Other than that, Michele Luio finally made an appearance!**

**About Ichika and the Unicorn, he will appear in the near future and the Unicorn business will be covered during Rita's time in Japan before she graduates ISA. **


End file.
